there you see vice president joe biden tasked by the president with coming up with some federal laws to reduce the number of illegal guns in use. he is meeting with america's billionaire mayor, michael bloomberg, the guy who started the mayors against illegal guns. they are talking about ways to reduce gun violence, especially in the wake of the newtown tragedy. if you'd like to continue to watch it, we have it streaming for you live on foxnews.com. ♪ jon: well, 50 years ago today one of america's most notorious prisons closed its doors. alcatraz, the federal penitentiary, shut down on this day in 1963. and the island in san francisco bay is still very much an icon. rick folbaum has more from our new york city newsroom. rick? >> reporter: well, given its iconic place in history, it's kind of surprising that alcatraz was only an active federal prison for 29 years, but it certainly earned its reputation as the rock as it was called, or devil's island was another nickname. according to prison official, nobody ever successfully escaped from alcatraz, though a lot of people tried. take